2003 BMW R1200C
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › BMW › R1200C › 2003
These records cover every 2003 BMW R1200C. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
13 complaints1 involved a crash1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Power train
Final drive failed without warning. No oil leaked before failure. Same failure as described in odi no. 10439549, and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. *kb *tr
- Power train · Power train › Driveline › Center support bearing · Service brakes, hydraulic
I had the same failure as described in odi no. 10439549. The leak of oil caused the side of the tire to become fouled,and the brake was heavily coated as well. I stopped and had the motorcycle taken into the dealership, where a new set of brake pads were required, as well as the rear bearing and seals. *kb
- Power train
An all too common problem with the final drives in our r1200c's and r1200cl's IS the dreaded final drive failure. Most of us who have experienced this, first noticed either a lateral wobble of the rear wheel, drops of fluid on our rear wheels, and/or fluid stains sprayed radially on the rear tire.…
An all too common problem with the final drives in our r1200c's and r1200cl's IS the dreaded final drive failure. Most of us who have experienced this, first noticed either a lateral wobble of the rear wheel, drops of fluid on our rear wheels, and/or fluid stains sprayed radially on the rear tire. well, I took a 600 mile jaunt last weekend to make sure the bike could handle the new touring bags and the t-bag I bought. The trip was great - near quincy, ca. when I got home, I noticed some oil spots on the right rear bag, the horror of horrors, radial stripes on the right side of the rear tire. I looked up under the final drive and what do I see? - yes, a big old drop of oil! Groan, and I'm leaving on saturday for sc. *kb
- Fuel system, gasoline
While riding my motorcycle fuel starting spraying from a fuel line disconnect fitting. the male portion broke. I was stopped at a traffic light and noticed fuel just gushing out of one of the side panels and splashing on the exhaust. my entire tank (aprox 2 gallons) emptied in a matter of 1-2…
While riding my motorcycle fuel starting spraying from a fuel line disconnect fitting. the male portion broke. I was stopped at a traffic light and noticed fuel just gushing out of one of the side panels and splashing on the exhaust. my entire tank (aprox 2 gallons) emptied in a matter of 1-2 minutes. this IS the first time this has happened to me but from research on online forums www.chromeheads.com it IS very common. this could have caused a major fire. the fuel was dripping directly onto my hot exhaust pipes, legs and boots. if the fuel had caught on fire it would have caused me serious injury. BMW now sells metal quick connects. I think there should be a recall and all these plastic quick connects should be replaced with metal ones. *Tr
- Tires › Valve
Traveling home on two lane divided highway at 55 mph. I had traveled 40 miles from my starting point prior to event. heard a loud pop and air escaping from rear tire. the tire went flat and the motorcycle moved violently from side to side and flipped. I tried to control but the bike flipped…
Traveling home on two lane divided highway at 55 mph. I had traveled 40 miles from my starting point prior to event. heard a loud pop and air escaping from rear tire. the tire went flat and the motorcycle moved violently from side to side and flipped. I tried to control but the bike flipped me off and I sustained injuries. I talked with the repair shop and they found no holes in the tire although felt the valve stem failed due to rubber failure. this motorcycle IS only two years old have others failed so early?
- Steering › Linkages · Wheels
BMW motorcycle model r1200clc. the motorcycle pulls to the right. Bmw's response IS no fault found opperating as designed.
- Steering › Linkages · Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields · Suspension › Front · Wheels › Rim
The BMW "cruiser" family of motorcycles exhibits a large proportion of units that have a "pull to the right" issue, in varying degrees. this IS extremly dangerous on a two wheeled vehicle. a review of web sites that support these vehicles all report the same issue occuring. to date, BMW has not…
The BMW "cruiser" family of motorcycles exhibits a large proportion of units that have a "pull to the right" issue, in varying degrees. this IS extremly dangerous on a two wheeled vehicle. a review of web sites that support these vehicles all report the same issue occuring. to date, BMW has not done anything about the issue. I am contacting you as BMW has discontinued the model this year and I feel that no fix will be forthcoming. owners have done various quick fixes, but none have been certified by BMW. currently my bike with 6,000 miles IS showing premature tire wear indicative of a "pttr" (pull to the right) issue. this pttr also has been reported to cause fatigue among some riders, all which could result in accident/injuries. refer to www.chromeheads.org for board discussion of the pttr issue among owners. thank you, r karlstad. *ak
- Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices
Rearview mirror design on the BMW r1200 clc motorcycle provides litttle or no view to the sides and poor view to the rear.this problem IS especially bad at night.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling
Motorcycle throttle locks at 2000 rpm with no warning, motorcycle engine will die when clutch IS engaged., motorcycle will die dur acceleration from standing stop.
- Structure
BMW r1200clc motorcycle sufficiently misbalanced (i.e. Center of gravity).he right of center line, such that a right counter steer IS continuously required to enable the bike to track straight; implying that the bike. *ak could not be reliably be ridden straight without falling over, on low…
BMW r1200clc motorcycle sufficiently misbalanced (i.e. Center of gravity).he right of center line, such that a right counter steer IS continuously required to enable the bike to track straight; implying that the bike. *ak could not be reliably be ridden straight without falling over, on low traction surfaces such as greasy, or icy roads; as well as creating left arm rider fatigue over long distances, and inducing excessive left side front tire wear.
- Suspension
BMW motorcycles model year 2003 model # r12cl have a significant wheel alignment/tracking problem secondary to a design defect. BMW argues that this IS normal for this model and refuses toi address the problem. *ak this IS a significant safety issue and there should be a recall mandated.…
BMW motorcycles model year 2003 model # r12cl have a significant wheel alignment/tracking problem secondary to a design defect. BMW argues that this IS normal for this model and refuses toi address the problem. *ak this IS a significant safety issue and there should be a recall mandated. following IS a description of the problem as I described and confirmed it with BMW. 2003 BMW r12cl [xxx] has tracking to the right problems which have been confirmed by BMW master technician [xxx] at dealer 2049. front and rear wheel frame geometry and tracking to the right. this motorcycle was noted by myself to have a significant pull or tracking to the right side during normal operating conditions. the motorcycle was evaluated for this problem by BMW master technician [xxx] on june 3 2003 at dealership 2049 and he determined that this was a significant problem. the unit had been in service for 578 miles at this time. repair order 44013 was generated at this time documenting this problem. I have attached this for your review. since this problem causes rider fatigue from the constant steer pressure that must be applied to keep the motorcycle tracking following the road it IS a safety issue also it will cause premature uneven tire wear , it must be addressed now. service manager long told me that he had contacted you to discuss this problem and possible solutions and that you replied all BMW motorcycles track to the right information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
- Suspension
2003 BMW r1z00 ck motorcycle tracks to the right because the motorcycle IS balanced heavy on the right. *mr the vehicle was imbalanced and heavy on the right side. the dealer stated that they would not do anything about the problem. *scc
- Suspension
While driving motorcycle's stability IS hard to maintain, it always pulls to the right, dealer has inspected motorcycle and could not duplicate or correct the problem. BMW, model r1200clc , 2003.*ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Fuel line leakage
BMW IS conducting a recall (04v-028).an information request(ir)response was not received. Upon bmw's receipt of the ir, and after discussions with odi, bmwdetermined that a recall was necessary. On certain motorcycles, the o-ring contained within the fuel line quick-disconnect coupling could become damaged.further…
BMW IS conducting a recall (04v-028).an information request(ir)response was not received. Upon bmw's receipt of the ir, and after discussions with odi, bmwdetermined that a recall was necessary. On certain motorcycles, the o-ring contained within the fuel line quick-disconnect coupling could become damaged.further, there IS also a problem involving crimp-type hose clamps, which can also result in a small fuel leak.dealers will inspect, and if necessary, adjust all crimp-type hose clamps.also all fuel line quick-disconnect couplings will be inspected.if a leak IS detected, the quick-disconnect o-ring will be replaced.if damaged, the coupling will be replaced.owner notification IS expected to begin during february 2004.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10037025BMW: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty.
- 10033130BMW vehicles: fuel level sensor repairs. Where it IS necessary to replace the right or the left side fuel level sensor due to a failure, the entire pump and housing or delivery unit (suction jet assembly) do not need to be replaced as well. In some cases, epc does not show that the repair kit IS available separately in the illustration, but it IS available in the parts description. All models. No model years listed.
- 10030825BMW motorcycle: engine fuels containing ethanol. BMW motorrad has no objection to the use of si engine fuels containing up to a maximum of 10% ethanol and imposes no warranty restrictions. Ethanol mixtures in proportions higher than 10% can have an adverse effect on performance and can result in damage to components that come into contract with fuel. No warranty claims whatsoever for damage caused in this way will be accepted. No model years listed.
Every BMW R1200C model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.